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| April 14, 2006 | Friday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1427 |
Pakistan held to a draw by Belgium
CHANGZHOU, (China) April 13: Unfancied gave Pakistan a jolt when they earned a creditable 2-2- draw in the World Cup qualifying round clash on Thursday.
Pakistan had taken a comfortable 2-0 lead just 10 minutes before the end with two field goals by Adnan Zakir (50th) and skipper Muhammad Saqlain in the 59th minute.
But a stirring revival bby the Belgians saw them narrowed the deficit three minutes later through Jean Philippe Brule's penalty corner and snatched the dramatic equaliser in the final seconds.
The goal, however, was disputed by Pakistan camp who lodged a an official protest .
Pakistan team manager, Saeed Khan, contended that the goal was scored after the hooter was sounded to end the match. He later lodged a formal protest in writing to technical official Sun Chengmin.
In another Group A match, England whipped Egypt 6-1 to top the group with six points from two wins. England, who scored an emphatic 5-1 victory over Ireland yesterday, overpowered the Egyptians.
Egypt's consolation goal came in the 56th minute through Sameh Mohamed.
The final fixture of the day saw Ireland pull off an upset 2-1 win over Canada who had looked very impressive despite losing 0-1 to Pakistan on Wednesday. The loss has put a damper on Canada's chances for a place in the final World Cup lineup.—APP
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